Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Boob Revolution 2: Overhauling your bra wardrobe

When was the last time you checked out your bra wardrobe, and made sure all your bras still fit, and were still doing their job - keeping those mamaries aloft! In this post I am updating my bra wardrobe - out with the old, in with the new!

A few years ago I realised (with some horror) that I was wearing the wrong bra size completely. I had always prided myself on knowing about the pitfalls of bra sizing, and that most women are in the incorrect size. So I was mortified when I realised I was just like everyone else, and my boobs were suffering the consequences. I wrote a post about what a major bra overhaul did for my boobs, and it's still one of my most popular posts to date.

I wanted to give you a bit of an update on where I am with my boobs (lol) and the lovely team at Figleaves offered me a new bra wardrobe to do just that! It's amazing to think the options now available to those of us with bigger busts, if we just turn to online retailers, instead of the under-served High Street.

Over the last few years I have started to feel quite differently about my breasts. I thought I would tell you a little bit about that, as well as talk some more about bra fitting and when it's time to part with our bras.

I have always had a complicated relationship with my boobs. I think a lot of women do. Despite the fact that breasts have a whole other primary purpose beyond titilation, they are certainly the most sexualised of all human body parts. And despite the many shapes and sizes boobies come in, we are constantly shown in the media that there is only really one type of boobs you're meant to have. Perky, bigger than average, even, perfectly formed nipples. And if you're plus size, you better have a big bust, because apparently that's the only okay thing about being a big girl. When my boobs did come in, I felt they weren't perky enough because they didn't give me perfect cleavage in a wonderbra, I worried that they were saggy, and not big enough for the rest of my body. And I always had a long list of things about them I wanted to change. I was ashamed of my breasts, because I just hadn't seen many that didn't look like movie boobs. As I have met more women (particularly plus size women) who I have discussed my body with more openly, I have come to realise just how common my hangups were, and that while I was envious of someone's rack, they were busy envying mine. I was jealous I didn't have the big, heaving, wench cleavage, while some of my bustier friends were jealous that, in fact, my boobs were quite perky (which I had not really realised, which sounds crazy, but because of the way my breasts looked in ill fitting bras I just thought they were sagsville!). Turns out I didn't even know my own body. In the last year I have begun to see my breasts as something good. I have seen some of the positives in them, rather than just deciding they are wrong. And as more and more of my friends have had babies, I guess I have been reminded of their importance beyond how they look in a string bikini top. They are not solely for decoration, and obsessing over the aesthetics of one body part isn't healthy or helpful.

Changing my bra actually changed my bust. In the last couple of years I have gone up to a dress size 24 and down to a size 20, and now I am a 22 again. While bras have gotten looser or tighter depending on my size, during that time my boobs have gone up a cup size or two (depending on the brand) purely from being properly scooped into a bra that fits me most days (I love a pj day when I can get one, so they're not always encased!). An excerpt from my first bra fitting blog post:

"You gotta learn the old swoop and scoop. Essentially you want to bend over (swoop) as you're putting your bra on and then scoop everything you got into that cup. The bad news is, if you've been wearing the wrong bra size for a while you probably have some migrated breasts tissue. I know. Terrifying. That tissue is making its way under your arms, towards your back, into your pits and God knows where else. However, the good news - scoop that right up and just pop it back in your bra. It'll go back to where it's meant to be eventually, and hallelujah you may end up going up a cup size. Whoot!"

So some of the bras I was totally devoted to when I did my boob overhaul are now too small. And over time, bras also lose their elasticity and firmness. So they stop doing their jobs as well. I have had a little clear out and added some new beauties to my wardrobe...

I think a good nude bra is a must in everyone's collection. The one on top was one of the first properly fitting bras I ever got. However, as my cup size has gone up this bra is now too small. There is overspill on the cups, giving me an unflattering quadra boob. The wire is digging into me, and the bra is squishing my boob down, giving me a flop over line because my boob isn't properly in the cup. Unhappy titties!

The bottom bra is the Matilda from Elomi, which is a wonderful, comfortable everyday bra. I'm wearing a 40F, and as you can see it fits much better. My boobs are comfortably encased by the cups - my breasts sit at the bottom of the cup, and the gore (that central piece of fabric between the boobs) is sitting flat against my body. No flop over line!

The black on top is the same style as the top nude, but in a size bigger. Clearly the fit is better than with the nude, but what's happned from lots of wear is that the top of the cup has stretched out. One boob now sits higher than the other, and the top of the cup is no longer sitting flush against my skin - there is a bit of a gape. Most of the time I opt for a balconette bra (the style of the top bra) as it's the most flattering style on bottom heavy breasts like mine and good for when I am wearing something low cut (which I do a lot), over the last year I have added quite a few full cup bras to my collection.

A full cup bra, like the Tia pictured here, gives really great support as it incases the whole boob. This is the sort of bra I like to wear when I am travelling, or am going to be running errands or doing house work. The Tia, which I am wearing ina 40F, is even more awesome, as it doesn't have a heavy band below the cups - while it's still supportive it's also super comfortable. I sometimes forget I have this bra on. That's a miracle!

The top bra was a long time favourite of mine - I love a red bra and I loved the fit of this beauty. One of the major problems with bras is because we wear them all the time I think we just don't realise when they have had their day. They slowly get less and less supportive, firm, elasticy, and we don't realised. So I was putting the top red one on the other day, and I suddenly realise that it's time was done. My boobs look sad and saggy and like it's not doing them any favours at all. The fabric has lost its elasticity, and the straps have stretched out, and the bra is just done. Sometimes we have to say goodbye!

Lucky for me, I had this FABULOUS racy red number from the Figleaves Curve collection to replace my old friend. I am so impressed with their Curve collection. It is bang on sizing wise (I'm wearing a 40F, my usual size) and the bras are sexy, on trend and supportive. I love the inclusion of the strapping on this beauty.

Over on Instagram

I'm Hayley, an award winning plus size blogger and a modern woman with a vintage heart. I'm a Londoner, a reader, a thinker and a dreamer. And most of the time I have more dresses than sense...
email: curvesncurlsuk@gmail.com